Reverse Engineering, Rapid prototyping and augmented Reality: integrated techniques for new models of fruition of archeological heritage

Reverse engineering (RE) and Rapid Prototyping (RP) have long been used for the representation, interpretation and communication of artistic and archaeological heritage, as well as their museum fruition. An application is given by the construction of models for tactile perception for blind-users: it has been developed a model, in real scale, of a kantharos of the sixth century BC modeled with mixed techniques of rapid prototyping CNC with polymeric resin. Another possible application is the integration of RE and RP techniques with Augmented Reality (AR). It has been made an experiment on the model of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in Agrigento. The physical model, made with additive process using 3D printing with chalky powder with controlled particle size, has been used as a basis to overlay the display of the polygon model, on a monitor or through glasses for AR. The digital model is perfectly superimposed to the physical model, and is viewable in various ways, from the colored one for the simulation of materials at the semi-transparent one to highlight the relationships with the underlying model, making immediate perception of the relations between the ruins and the original work. The full paper will outline the experiences that have been made in the laboratories of RP and RE of the Art School “V. Ragusa and OR. Kiyohara “of Palermo in collaboration with the Department of Architecture of the University of Palermo.